By Kirsty Needham
Hong Kong: Hong Kong’s gay and lesbian community rallied on Saturday night, bringing drag queens and disco beats to the strife-torn city after police banned the annual gay pride march. As Taiwan became the first city in Asia to legislate for marriage equality this year, prominent LGBTQ activists in Hong Kong have instead been on the frontline of the democracy movement.
Police only permitted an assembly to be held on the harbourfront. Jimmy Sham, convener of the Civil Human Rights Front which organised marches that drew 1 million people onto the streets in June, was there on crutches. Sham, who is gay, was in hospital after being attacked by thugs. He said it was disappointing the parade had been banned and it showed citizens were losing their rights.
He said the reason the push for marriage equality in Hong Kong had been unsuccessful was the same reason democracy protesters had their demands ignored. "The government is not willing to listen to the people," he said. "Only when the minorities and disadvantaged groups are protected and secure will the general public be secure." Read more via SMH
HKFP Lens: Thousands in Hong Kong rally for LGBT+ rights, despite parade ban
Organisers of this year’s Hong Kong Pride Parade said over 6,500 attended a static rally in Central on Saturday after police banned the annual march over safety concerns. Revellers gathered under the theme “Equal Justice, Equal Rights” – HKFP was a media sponsor.
